Friday, February 26, 2016

THESAURUS - DEVIL BOOK - YEA OR NAY?

As with chocolate brownies, moderation and discipline is the
key when using a thesaurus.I know there
are writers giving tips everywhere saying that the thesaurus should never be
cracked, but I disagree.

First, you can learn a lot from a thesaurus on the expand-your-vocabulary
horizon.However, the thesaurus should
be an editing tool more than a writing tool.Write the story using words you absolutely know.If there are words you use that you are not
one hundred percent certain about, look up their synonyms in a thesaurus first,
to give you context.But then, look up
the specific definitions for the word and its synonyms in a dictionary to be certain.Even then, if you look up the synonym you
plan to use, and the definition is the less common one, chances are it might
not be correct in your story.

For example, the matriarch in my fictitious town of Owl's
Nest is a witch, and I wanted to find synonyms for the word witch because it comes up in my stories
a lot.

Okay, some of these apply some of the time, but not in the
context I use them.If I'm talking about
a white witch casting a protection circle, sorceress might apply, but magician
would be wrong.And necromancer doesn't
apply at all since it is associated with black art and not white witches.

Writers need to be careful about that when using a
thesaurus.

My rules for the thesaurus are:

Never use
the thesaurus to find bigger words to sound smarter.Most of the time you just appear smug and
give readers the opening to snort with derision when they find out you used the
big, fancy words incorrectly after all. Even if the words are used correctly, nobody
likes a show-off.

Use the
thesaurus to replace redundant or overused words – and know the precise meaning of every word you choose before placing it in
your manuscript.Preferably use the
simplest synonyms listed because lesser known words are distractions for
readers.You're writing fiction, not
primers.

Use the
thesaurus to find the exact word that's on the tip of your tongue.You know the feeling.You're writing away and come to a scene and
there's a word – you can't think of it, dammit – you want to use because it
would be just right.Everything else is
wrong.Chances are if you look up the
wrong word closest in meaning to the one you're trying to think of, the correct
word will be shining in the list of synonyms there in your thesaurus.

Through the years I've read many books of writing tips and
how-tos from authors I respect and admire, and I'm always thrilled to know that
I share their writing practices. Thesaurus
use is a divided issue – I hope you found my two-cents worth helpful.

On
September 13th, 2015 Terri married her Hottie Scottie, Blaze
McRob (Robert Nelson), who is an equally twisted horror writer who found her
online, crept into her world, swept her off her feet and revels in the fact that
they are two peas in a very strange pod.

No
doubt there will be many dark fiction tales for ooky aficionados to revel in
coming very soon.